UnitedHealth Group beefs up PBM business with merger agreement

NEW YORK and SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — OptumRx, UnitedHealth Group’s freestanding pharmacy care services business, and Catamaran, a provider of PBM services and technology solutions, have agreed to combine in a $12.8 billion deal.



The agreement calls for the acquisition of Catamaran’s outstanding common stock for $61.50 per share in cash. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2015, subject to Catamaran shareholders’ approval, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.



The acquisition is expected to be accretive to UnitedHealth Group’s net earnings in the area of $0.30 per share in 2016. UnitedHealth Group plans to finance the acquisition from existing cash resources and new debt. The company affirmed its $6.00 to $6.25 per share earnings outlook assuming the absorption of all merger costs, the ongoing commitment to advance its dividend policy as planned, and a continued but moderated level of share repurchase.



Upon closing, Mark Thierer, Catamaran’s chairman and CEO, will serve as CEO of OptumRx and Timothy Wicks, the current CEO of OptumRx, will become president. Jeff Park, who currently serves Catamaran as EVP, operations, will become the COO for OptumRx. Jeffrey Grosklags, currently the CFO of OptumRx, will continue in that role.



OptumRx’s advanced Clinical Synchronization approach connects pharmacy and care management systems, processes and teams to create deeper insights for patient outcomes and savings for individuals and plan sponsors. Synchronization presents the entire patient health profile, rather than discrete pieces of an individual’s profile.



Catamaran offers retail pharmacy network management, mail service pharmacy, pharmacy claims management and patient-centric specialty pharmacy services to a broad client portfolio, including health plans and employers, as well as health care information technology solutions to the industry.



Both companies have specialty pharmacy services businesses. The combined organization will help customers manage the complex costs and outcomes as this portion of the pharmaceutical market expands from an estimated $100 billion in revenues in 2014 to potentially $400 billion annually by 2020.